


Danny Rage Quits

by RavenWhitecastle



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Anxiety, Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Sick Character, Sick Danny, Sickfic, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 14:39:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13977225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenWhitecastle/pseuds/RavenWhitecastle
Summary: Arin and Danny are in the middle of a grump session, and Danny feels like crap. But if he can just make it to the end of the episode, he'll be fine. When Arin is unintentionally aggravating, can Danny ride out the storm, or will his symptoms get the better of him?Sick Danny and Caretaker Arin, with Danny having a mental breakdown and Arin hovering nervously nearby. Fluff comfort because who doesn't love fluffy cuddles.





	Danny Rage Quits

"Hello everyone and welcome back tuuuuuh..." Arin droned on for a few seconds as he twirled Mario around in circles. Danny chuckled in the background. "UuuuhSUPER Mario Galaxy!" Arin jumped up and Mario went "WAhoo!"  


Danny laughed. "Nice."  


"Last time on Game Grumps, we were trying to beat the one stock baby Bowser challenge, and this time on Game Grumps, we're trying to do the same FUCKING thing!" Arin snapped.  


Out of view, Danny winced. Arin's shouting was doing nothing for his growing headache. Sniffling, he sat back and let Arin do his thing through the menu screen. They'd just gotten started recording and Arin had to load up his old save.  


"So Dan," Arin started.  


"Hm?"  


"This is the third time I've tried to complete this challenge. What are your, uh... what are you predictions? For this round."  


Danny rubbed his temples. "Oh, god, I dunno."  


"You don't know?" Arin exclaimed, "Dan, you should know beyond a shadow of a whisper of a-a-a hint of a doubt that I'm going to win!"  


"Right, yeah, sorry. Of course."  


Arin chattered through the gameplay with Danny interjecting occasionally. Arin didn't fail to notice Danny's uncharacteristically quiet demeanor, but he said nothing.  


At long last, Arin beat baby Bowser with one life and one health. "WHOO!" Arin cheered. It rang in Danny's head, but he still manage to add a weak, "Yaaay!"  


Arin sighed, exhausted from the feat. "Wow, that was... Ugh." Danny only nodded in agreement. "Aaaand, wait for it..." On screen, the star popped out of the ground, and hovered in the air. "THERE it is!" he exclaimed, "Haha, a shiny gold star. After all of that. All of that for one measly gold star. One a level I already completed!"  


"Proud of you, big guy," Danny inserted.  


The camera cut away from the star back to Mario, and Arin made his way towards it. When he finally got to the other side of the planet, he jumped up into the air out of range of the star. "Oh, dang," he said, totally deadpan, "I missed." He jumped again, nudging the joystick. Mario moved forward about a pixel. "Ah, dang."  


Danny saw where his partner was going with the gag. "Oh, no," he murmured.  


Arin jumped and nudged the joystick again, still out of range. "Dang it," he echoed, a hint of laughter creeping into his voice, "Gosh diddly darn dang it."  


"Arin..."  


"Wait, maybe if I get a running start." Arin backed up to the other side of the planet, then turned around and ran back. "Hiii-YAH!" He jumped again, intentionally landing too far away, outside the star's circle of light. "Oh heck. Oh darn it all to heck."  


Arin's voice and butchered curses were getting more and more ridiculous, but Dan wasn't amused. The sooner Arin collected the star, the sooner they could end the session and Danny could close his goddamn eyes. "Arin, please," he whimpered, attempting to chuckle to hide his desperation.  


"Dan, we've worked so hard for this, it has to look cool!" Arin argued, "For the audience!" He started around the planet again, winding up for another jump. Danny sighed and resigned himself to watching.  


This time when Arin went sailing past the star, Danny exploded. " _GODDAMNIT ARIN WOULD YOU PLEASE JUST GET THE FUCKING STAR SO WE CAN LEAVE!_ "  


At Danny's reaction, Arin paused the game and turned to face his partner. His eyes widened when he saw the state Danny was in. Arin had been so focused on the game and extending his dumb joke, he hadn't noticed Danny had retreated as far into the couch as he could, knees pulled up in front of him and arms crossed in front of his chest. "Jesus, are you okay?"  


Danny's feverish blush deepened, embarrassed by his outburst. Weakly, he attempted to recover, joking, "You don't have to call me Jesus, at least not on camera."  


Arin set aside his controller and crouched on the floor in front of Danny. Reaching out, he placed a hand on Danny's face. He was worried to find Danny was burning up. "You're in really bad shape. Why didn't you say anything?"  


Danny shrugged, trying to disappear into the couch. "I thought I could get through the session. Let you do most of the talking and ride it out."  


Arin sighed. "Shit, I wish you'd said something. You didn't have to do that." With that, he started shutting down the recording equipment.  


"Woah, w-what are you doing?"  


Arin glanced over. "Ending the session. You're sick as a dog, dude."  


"But we haven't finished the episode yet."  


"We have more than enough content. If we have to, we'll get Barry to whip something up. We'll pull a Civilization, do some shit about how you murdered me out of rage, it'll be great." He smirked, but his heart wasn't in it. He was sincerely worried about Danny. He looked awful- flushed and shaky, sweating profusely. How had Danny managed for so long? "Come on," he tried, "We can do another session when you're feeling better."  


after a few more seconds, Danny nodded blearily. His slow response times were worrisome, but Arin had to focus on getting Danny upstairs first. Arin wedged his hand between Danny's shoulder and the couch to pry him out from his nest in the cushions. Dan wiggled out and then bent over his knees with a groan.  


"Are you okay?" Arin asked.  


Danny grunted. "My head. That hurt."  


Arin rubbed Danny's back soothingly. "We'll get you drugged up soon." He rummaged around behind the couch and pulled out a fanmade Grumpcade blanket. Draping it over Danny's shoulder, he asked, "Can you stand?"  


Danny got to his feet and wobbled a bit, the pounding in his head intensifying momentarily. Arin held his arms out protectively to catch him in case he stumbled, but after a second, Danny started shuffling toward the stairs.  


It felt like giving into his symptoms had made them ten times worse. Danny was grateful for the blanket as he'd started to shiver uncontrollably, but his head felt like it was going to explode. His only goal was to reach the top of the stairs.  


It pained Arin to see Danny suffering the way he was. His friend was usually so vibrant and energetic, even when he was exhausted like he was during their early morning Pokemon session, or stressed like he was during Guild Grumps. Danny still found it in himself to laugh and joke like always, even if it sometimes came out as nonsensical rambling.  


They finally reached the bedrooms on the second floor, and Danny practically collapsed on the bed, curling up in a ball. He shielded his eyes with the blanket and tried not to whimper as his head throbbed with every heartbeat, each one slightly faster than the last.  


Arin sat on the edge of the bed. "I know it hurts, buddy, just hang tight. Did you have anything to eat? You shouldn't take ibuprofen on an empty stomach."  


Danny emerged from the blanket and nodded slightly, instantly regretting it. He squeezed his eyes shut against the wave of pain that overloaded his brain for a second before answering. "Yeah, a CLIF bar, thought it would help."  


"Okay, that's good. Sit tight, I'll be right back, just... hold on."  


Arin rushed the bathroom one door down to get what he needed- water, painkillers, a damp cloth. What else did he need? He needed to pull himself together- Danny needed him. There were ice packs and other medical supplies under the sink. He rummaged through the cabinets looking for anything else that would be useful.  


Meanwhile, Danny was getting worse. His teeth were chattering now. He clutched the blanket tighter. Where was Arin? He remembered something about Arin being next to him before he said something and left. Why did Arin leave? Danny didn't want to be alone. Feebly, he mumbled Arin's name before calling out for his friend.  


Arin rushed back, having heard Danny calling his name. He was on his knees next to bed, skidding a few inches across the floor. "Are you okay?!" he asked frantically, "What's wrong, what happened?"  


Danny looked at him tearfully. "You went away."  


Arin ran his hand through Danny's hair. "I know buddy, I'm sorry. I'm here now."  


Danny leaned into his touch. ARin's hand felt good on his hot skin, but his head throbbed when he moved. He winced. "It hurts."  


"I know, I'm sorry, but I'm here to make you all better," Arin assured him. Carefully, he tucked Danny in, propping him against the headboard. "Here," he said, pressing the pills into Danny's shaking hand. Danny popped them in, and Arin held the glass to Danny's lips. "There we go, a few more sips."  


Arin managed to coax Danny into drinking the whole glass. Sighing, Danny burrowed into the pillows. Arin felt his forehead- still hot. He reached for the damp washcloth, applying it gently to Danny's forehead.  


Danny jumped against the unexpected clod. Arin rushed to comfort him. "Hey, it's okay, it's me, buddy." He brushed a calming hand through Danny's hair again, and moved the washcloth around Danny's face with his other hand. "This'll get you feeling better in no time, okay?"  


"M'kay."  


A few minutes passed in silence, with Danny resting peacefully under Arin's careful ministrations. Finally, he spoke again. "Hey, Arin?"  


"Yeah, Dan?"  


Danny sniffled. "I'm sorry I ruined the grump session today."  


"No worries, man, you didn't ruin it."  


"No," Danny sobbed. It was only then Arin realized Danny was crying, shoulders shaking and hot tears spilling down his cheeks. "Y-you worked so hard on the challenge," he managed, lower lip trembling, "And I f-fucked it up. I fucked up bad, and now Barry will have more work to do, and he already workes so hard and it's all my fault-"  


Danny was starting to hyperventilate. He was delirious from the fever and emotional from being exhausted. Arin could think of nothing else to do- he crawled into bed next to Danny and pulled him close, resting Danny's head on his chest, holding the washcloth with his hand, his arm around Danny's shoulders. "Listen," he said softly. Danny hiccuped against him. "You didn't do anything wrong, okay? We're only human. We all get tired, and we all need a day off every now and then. If you don't feel up to recording, all you gotta do is tell me."  


Danny nodded weakly. "I know, I'm sorry."  


"Don't apologize. Just..." Arin trailed off. "I don't want you to burn yourself out. You really had me worried back there, I was... kind of scared. Which isn't your fault, okay? You just mean a lot to me, and... I care about you a bunch."  


Arin felt himself getting choked up. Danny really was his best friend. He was the only person he honestly loved as much as Suzy.  


Out of Danny's view, he wiped his eyes. "And if you scare me like that again, I'll kick your ass," he jokes, trying to lighten the mood.  


Danny chuckled, a sign he was starting to feel better. "Okay." They sat for a couple minutes. "Hey, Arin?"  


"Yeah, Dan?"  


"Don't leave again," he murmured into Arin's shirt. "At least, not today. I don't want to be alone."  


Arin smiled and brushed back Danny's hair again. "I'm not going anywhere."  


_fin_


End file.
